A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 448 Challenge Before 80,000 Troops
The final battle has begun.

The fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month is the Ghost Festival.

At dawn, the sun rose in the east, and the sky was clear and blue.

Liu Heita has stopped attacking the city.

Prince Qin, Li Shimin, led an army of nearly 60,000 and approached Dou Jiande's camp. He set up a fortified camp west of the city, with Mingshui City as his backing.

As Li Yi exited the south gate of Mingshui, many dead fish floated in the moat.

The road, previously blocked by the Xia army's trenches and wooden palisades, was paved again by the Qin army. They arrived at the main camp outside the west gate, where nearly 60,000 troops had formed a plum blossom formation, and the soldiers were still reinforcing the palisades under the rising sun.

"Wu Yi has arrived. Please take a seat. You are a great contributor to the pacification of Hebei." Li Shimin went to the tent entrance to greet him, took Li Yi's hand, and led him to the head seat inside the tent to sit down together.

"The siege of Chanyuan was truly brilliant, and the sweeping victory over the three prefectures of Weixin and Bo in ten days was astonishing. What's even more unexpected is that you quickly captured Mingshui, cutting off Dou Jiande's supply lines and reinforcements."

I faced off against Dou Jiande in Yecheng and Feixiang for months without finding an opportunity, but you struck with deadly precision.

Li Yi quickly said, "The Qin King's army is the main force. You only have 60,000 men, yet you attracted Dou Jiande's more than 100,000 troops, keeping him from moving for more than a hundred days. That's truly remarkable."

"Wu Yi, you know all the generals in this tent, right?"

"Yes, I know them all. They are all famous generals of our Great Tang Dynasty. Today, the stars of generals are shining brightly, and the tent is filled with brilliance."

"Hahaha."

The tent was indeed filled with fierce generals, and there were twenty-five chief stewards alone.

"Dou Jiande only has 80,000 troops left, while we, including the troops in Wuyi City, have more than 60,000."

Li Shimin believed that the time for the final decisive battle had arrived.

“Li Yi and his 50,000 troops from Youzhou will arrive in three days. Should we wait a little longer?” said Qi Wang Yuanji, the deputy commander.

Li Yi and his allied forces of 50,000 men had previously stationed themselves in the area of ​​Julu and Pingxiang in Xingzhou, which is located in the lower reaches of the Zhang River and is not far from the Ming River.

But after so many days, they still haven't arrived, and they said it would take three more days.

Li Shimin was somewhat dissatisfied with them.

"We won't wait any longer," Li Shimin said directly.

He approached the sand table.
At this time, Dou Jiande was already surrounded. Although he still had 80,000 men, he had lost nearly 50,000 in the previous battles.

This army is now not only exhausted, but its morale is also extremely low.

"Since Dou Jiande raised his army, he has not fought any real major battles. Although he has a large number of soldiers and generals, fighting is not about numbers. Otherwise, at the end of the Daye era, those bandits would often boast of having 100,000 or 200,000 men, but why were they always so easily defeated?"

"I have decided that today, right here at the foot of Mingshui City, I will capture Dou Jiande in one battle and recover Hebei."

"Wu Yi, what do you think?"

Li Yi also agreed with Li Shimin's assessment. Warfare isn't like tending horses; why have so many men? With the command system of this era, the more men there are, the harder it is to command. Luo Yi and his ilk had previously captured several prefectures, but now that they were close at hand, their movements had slowed down.
There was clearly some hesitation or observation involved.

In the past few days, the morale of the Xia army has been declining with each battle, while the Tang army has become more and more courageous.

Morale is available.

With the two head coaches in agreement, there was no room for objection from the others.

Even though the tent also contained the two prime ministers from Chang'an, Feng Deyi, the Grand Chancellor, and Chen Shuda, the Grand Councilor, as well as Zheng Shanguo, the Pacification Commissioner of Hebei, Cui Mingan and Lu Chisong, the deputy envoys, and Qi Wang Yuanji, the deputy commander-in-chief, and Yin Kaishan, the deputy commander-in-chief and Minister of War of the Grand Secretariat,
Along with Tang Jian, the Chief Secretary and Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and others of high rank, the combination of Li Shimin and Li Yi was powerful, influential, and highly respected.

One was Grand Commandant and Minister of Works, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Chancellor, General of the Twelve Guards, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of Shaanxi East Circuit, and Marshal of the Army of Hebei Circuit.

One was the Minister of Works and concurrently the Attendant-in-Ordinary, the Left Vice Minister of the Shandong Circuit, the Right General of the Guards, and the General of the Banner.

Both men had such outstanding achievements. Not to mention the Battle of Jingzhou, but just the Battle of Hedong and the Battle of Luoyang, the two cooperated and fought very well.

"Wu Yi, what do you think is the best way to fight?" Li Shimin ignored the generals and chief stewards in the tent and asked Li Yi for advice.

Although Li Yi believed that the Tang army could win this battle no matter how they fought it.

But some tactics are definitely necessary.

"I think Dou Jiande is like an ant on a hot pan right now, and a gambler who has lost everything at the gambling table. He has nowhere to retreat now, so he will definitely want to go all out."

Your Majesty could first send someone to deliver a challenge to Dou Jiande, arranging a decisive battle for today.

"Well, and then what? You must have some other brilliant plan in store, right?" Li Shimin asked with a smile.

"It's not a brilliant plan, just a little trick. I see the weather today is fine, so I'll challenge Dou Jiande to a decisive battle. After he comes out of his camp, lines up his troops, and gets into position..."
Let's not leave the camp yet; let's rest here first.

“Let him stand out in the sun, let his 80,000 men stand in formation under the sun for half a day.”

"When they are exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and worn out by the afternoon sun, we will send another thousand men to probe their position, approaching from the flank."

If the Xia army's formation shifts and our light cavalry is drawn into the fray, then the opportune moment will be approaching.

Li Shimin nodded repeatedly, understanding everything Li Yi said instantly.

Li Yuanji interjected with dissatisfaction, "Is Dou Jiande really that obedient? You challenge him, and he comes out of the city and forms his troops? If we don't leave the camp, won't Dou Jiande retreat?"

Li Yi smiled but didn't reply, while Li Shimin disdained to reply.

On the contrary, Feng Deyi, the Grand Secretary, offered a few words of explanation, "Dou Jiande is now more eager for a decisive battle than we are for it. There is still a glimmer of hope then. If it drags on any longer, he will run out of supplies, and the Prince of Yan's northern army will arrive soon."
That would be a complete dead end for him.

If we challenge him to a duel, he will definitely come.

"Once they come out, it's impossible for an army of 80,000 to just come and go as they please." An army of 80,000 would take a long time just to set up its formation after leaving the camp; how could it possibly retreat after a short while?

It's highly likely that once Dou Jiande had set up his army and the Tang army didn't show up for battle as agreed, he would definitely send someone to the Tang camp to challenge them.

Li Yuanji curled his lip, "When two armies clash, they should fight each other honorably. Why resort to such petty tricks? Besides, what's the point of drying the Xia army in the sun for two or three hours?"

Li Shimin snorted coldly and scolded, "If you don't understand, then listen more, watch more, and learn properly."

Yuchi Gong directly mocked Yuanji, "In this scorching July, with the midday sun so intense, why doesn't Prince Qi put on full armor and stand under the sun for two or three hours? You'll see how much of an effect it has."

I'm afraid they'll get heatstroke before the fight even starts.

Yuanji glared angrily at Lao Hei, who chuckled dismissively.

Li Yi's proposal was supported by most people, especially the experienced veterans, who thought Li Yi's move was quite ruthless.

They had anticipated that Dou Jiande was eager for a decisive battle.

Although victory still depends on battle, this strategy of exposing the Hebei army can greatly increase the Tang army's chances of winning.

Don't underestimate this; a single horseshoe nail can sometimes change the course of a battle and end the life of a king.

"Where is General Zhang Shigui, the Right Guard General?"

"Your subordinate is here!" Zhang Shigui, a burly man, stepped forward. He had practiced martial arts since childhood and possessed extraordinary strength. He could draw a 150-pound bow and shoot arrows with both hands without missing a shot.

He was not Yuan Cong of Hedong, but rather someone who gathered a crowd to revolt in his hometown of Guozhou at the end of the Sui Dynasty. He captured the prefecture and county and proclaimed himself governor. Later, he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and fought under Liu Wenjing. Because of this relationship, he became a man of the Prince of Qin.

Li Yi sized him up; this man also had a name, Hu Luan.

Hulu, whose name inevitably evokes images of a desert-landed crocodile, was called Hulu Bandit when he first raised his army, referring to his ferocity. Both Li Mi and Wang Shichong tried to win over Zhang Shigui, but this crocodile looked down on both and instead voluntarily submitted to Li Yuan.

When attacking Luoyang, Li Yuan specially appointed Zhang Shigui as the governor of Guozhou, saying that he would let him return home in glory, and after the war, he would be enfeoffed as the Duke of Guo.

This man is a core general of the Qin King's mansion.

"Take a hundred cavalrymen to Dou Jiande's camp, first shoot and kill some of the Xia army's scouts, then shoot my challenge letter into the Xia camp, inviting Dou Jiande to fight!"

"Your Majesty, this humble general will lead ten riders!" Zhang the Crocodile declared ruthlessly. He understood the King of Qin's intention: this trip was not merely to deliver a message, but also to provoke the enemy.

You have to be arrogant, you have to be wild.

The fewer people, the better the effect.

"Okay, I believe in your abilities, go ahead."

Leading ten riders, they bravely stormed the Xia army camp of eighty thousand men.

The Xia army wasn't all in the camp; there were also many scouts outside the camp, specifically there to intercept any enemies who tried to get close.

We must also guard against anyone in the camp secretly colluding with the enemy, or deserters.

Without some skill, these ten riders wouldn't even be able to get close to the enemy camp.

Tang Dynasty archers could draw 120 jin with superior strength, 90 jin with medium strength, and the minimum standard for an archer was 60 jin.

Zhang Shigui's ability to draw 150 jin (75 kg) was already quite remarkable. Of course, Prince Qin, Li Shimin, was skilled in using large bows and arrows; he could draw 180 jin (90 kg) and shoot through six layers of lamellar armor.

When drawing a bow, one should draw a strong one; Li Shimin can be considered the strongest archer of his time.

Zhang Shigui left the tent and returned to camp, where he selected ten personal guards, all of whom were sharpshooters capable of pulling a 130-pound weight.

A group of eleven riders set off from the West Gate camp and headed straight for Dou Jiande's camp in the east of the city. The distance was only a few miles. After passing the South Gate, Xia army scouts were patrolling.

Zhang Shigui spurred his horse and charged forward.

Eleven riders galloped at breakneck speed, and the five Xia army scouts turned and fled. Zhang Shigui and his men, riding in superior steeds, quickly closed the distance. Relying on their powerful bows and long-range shooting abilities, Zhang Shigui drew his bow and arrow from horseback.
His ten personal guards also drew their bows.

They fired arrows in quick succession from behind.
Moments later, all five riders were hit by arrows and fell from their horses. Zhang Shigui rushed over, and his personal guards jumped off their horses to finish them off, cutting off their heads before jumping back onto their horses.

They continued towards the summer camp.
Xia Jun in the camp had witnessed their hunt for the cavalry and angrily sent out two hundred riders to give chase. Zhang Shigui smiled and reined in his horse, deliberately waiting for the enemy to get close to his shooting range. He then fired several arrows from horseback, shooting down several men before turning around and galloping away.

He did not rush back to the camp.

On the contrary, thanks to their superior warhorses and longer range, they were able to fly kites used by the Xia army, firing arrows while riding and looking back.
Summer riders who were pursuing them fell from their horses from time to time, but no one could shoot them.

Zhang Shigui's horse passed through the South Gate, then turned back and continued flying its kite.
After several such repetitions, Xia's 200 light cavalry suffered a loss of 30 to 40 riders, and were eventually chased back to their camp by Zhang Shigui and his men.

Zhang Shigui stood at attention in front of the camp.
"Listen up, you cowards in the camp! I am Zhang Shigui, General of the Left Guard of the Great Tang Dynasty and Prefect of Guozhou!"

By order of the King of Qin, I have come to challenge Dou Jiande.

Today, the two armies will decide their fate in a decisive battle south of the city.

After shouting, Zhang Shigui drew his powerful bow and shot the challenge letter into the Xia army camp a hundred paces away.

His ten personal guards, each holding a long spear and carrying several heads of Xia army light cavalry, were showing off their power.

This scene,
This infuriated the Xia army soldiers guarding the camp, making them grit their teeth in anger.

The challenge letter was picked up and quickly sent to the imperial tent in the central army camp.
King Dou Jiande of Xia looked at the challenge letter written by Li Shimin himself, and then heard the general's report that the Tang general had only brought ten riders, yet had shot and killed dozens of their riders, showing his arrogance.

Dou Jiande clenched his fists, wanting to smash the table in front of him.

"Too deceiving!"

(End of this chapter)